


Charity Ficlets

by allwaswell16



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 2nd ficlet:, 3rd ficlet, 4th ficlet, 5th ficlet, 6th ficlet, Alpha Louis, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Regency, Alternate Universe - Retail, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Cat, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Shopping, Co-workers, Engineer Harry, Harry works in a toy shop, M/M, Meet-Cute, Omega Harry, Professor Harry Styles, Professor Louis, Revenge, Secret Admirer, Shopping Malls, Song Lyrics, Songfic, Tattoo Artist Louis, Winter, Writer Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-15 21:13:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16940832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allwaswell16/pseuds/allwaswell16
Summary: Chapter 1: Shiny Objects: Louis isn't so sure about Professor Styles, but when he must save him from a loose niffler, things change between them.Chapter 2: 500 Miles: Louis hates being ignored, and he knows just how to get his roommates attention.Chapter 3: Smitten: Louis hates winter. Then he begins receiving anonymous gifts to keep him warm, and maybe winter isn't so bad after all.Chapter 4: Grease Lightning: Louis' cat likes to give out his phone number.Chapter 5: The Duke's Diamond: The Duke of Yorkshire must find a mate, and the omega he finds hiding from his country ball intrigues him.Chapter 6: Baby, All I Want For Christmas: When Louis shops for his siblings’ Christmas gifts, he finds a good reason to keep returning to the same shop–a very cute boy.





	1. Shiny Objects

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GMTYUniverse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMTYUniverse/gifts), [AlwaysAqua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysAqua/gifts), [dimpled_halo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimpled_halo/gifts), [lululawrence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/gifts), [QuickedWeen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuickedWeen/gifts), [flicker_album](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flicker_album/gifts).



> Each chapter of this work is a ficlet dedicated to those who donated to Eden Dora Trust in honor of Louis Tomlinson and his family. Thank you for your donations! As I finish each ficlet, they'll be uploaded as a new chapter. <3
> 
> Chapter 1~GMTYUniverse  
> Chapter 2~AlwaysAqua  
> Chapter 3~dimpled_halo  
> Chapter 4~lululawrence  
> Chapter 5~QuickedWeen  
> Chapter 6~flicker_album

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis isn't so sure about Professor Styles, but when he must save him from a loose niffler, things change between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, [goodmorningtoyouuniverse](https://goodmorningtoyouuniverse.tumblr.com/)! <3 I hope you enjoy your ficlet!

Louis rolls out of bed with a groan and stretches out his sore muscles. Teaching first years to fly is not a job for the weak of heart--or muscles. Not to mention he has a large bruise on his arm from Clementine Longbottom accidentally wapping him with the broom she was attempting to fly. He throws on the first robes he finds, ones of a deep blue colour, before he drags himself from his bedroom and into his office where he grabs his schedule and clipboard and heads towards the Great Hall.

He says good morning to the students he meets on his way to breakfast, and he high fives his goddaughter, Noreen Horan, the best seeker he’s ever seen fly a broomstick as he heads past the Gryffindor table.

He plops into a chair at the staff table and loads his plate high with eggs and sausages. He hears a ‘tsk’ noise from one chair over. Before he turns his head, he already knows who he’ll see, so he preemptively rolls his eyes.

The potions master, Professor Styles is sitting nearby, eyeing Louis’ breakfast with distaste. Louis gives him his own look of disdain glancing from his head to his feet, starting with his ridiculous curls and traveling over his mauve robes and high heeled boots. He saves his most scornful look for Professor Styles’ breakfast of berries and what looks like small twigs.

There’s something seriously wrong with Professor Styles.

“There’s something seriously wrong with you.”

“Me?” Louis exclaims.

“Look at your breakfast.”

“I’m not the one eating parts of a tree, mate.”

“Berries don’t grow on trees.”

“Wasn’t talking about your berries, was talking about your twigs.”

Professor Styles’ cheeks flush a similar shade to his robes, and Louis cackles at the implication.

“They’re made of bran,” Professor Styles mumbles.

“Mmhmm,” Louis says his mouth full of sausage. “Sure.”

Professor Styles frowns, a deep line furrowing between his brows, staring at him as though he’s trying to solve a puzzle of some sort. Louis looks away from his intense look and concentrates again on his breakfast. Professor Styles can be a bit unnerving.

He’s done eating well before him, but he glances one more time at Professor Styles and watches his long, heavily ringed fingers grasp a spoon and bring it to his pretty pink lips. His tongue reaches out to catch the berries. He feels a bit mesmerised for a moment, but he shakes his head a bit to clear it and jumps up from his chair.

He walks quickly out of the Great Hall without looking back.

~*~

After his morning flying classes, he puts away the school brooms in the broom shed and heads back towards the castle. As he begins to walk up the steps, he sees something unusual out of the corner of his eye, two students struggling to hold something coming from near the gamekeeper’s cottage.

He knows Hagrid is away for the day on Hogwarts’ business, so he’s immediately suspicious. Not to mention that both of the students have bright red hair, Weasleys for sure. He sighs and begins creeping up behind them.

He’s only a few steps behind them, when he speaks up loudly. “Whatcha doing, Weasley?”

“Arghhhh!” Both Weasleys jump in surprise and drop whatever it is they’ve been holding. Louis sighs as the thing scurries away towards the castle.

“The niffler!” They yell.

The three of them give chase, but the damn thing is hard to catch. Louis sends a few binding spells it’s way, but they miss. It’s hard to be accurate whilst running. They chase it right up to the castle door, which unfortunately is opened right at that moment by Professor Styles.

“Stop that niffler!” Louis calls out.

Professor Styles looks startled and tries to capture the niffler in his hands, but it’s at that moment that the creature spies Professor Styles’ many rings. “Ouch! It bit me!”

Professor Styles starts backing away into the castle as the niffler follows him, trying to crawl up his robes to reach the rings. “Stop, you beast!” Professor Styles says as he kicks at the niffler, who only lets go for a moment.

Professor Styles makes a run for it as the niffler gives chase.

“Fuck’s sake,” Louis grumbles as he and the Weasleys chase after Professor Styles as he runs through the castle, his robes flapping about him like a giant, pink bat and his boots clicking against the floors loudly as he runs surprisingly quickly down the stairs and into the dungeons.

Louis has no idea why Professor Styles doesn’t simply stop and cast a spell. He obviously doesn’t do well under pressure. “Stop running!” He calls after him. “Just bind him!”

Professor Styles makes it to his office and makes to slam the door closed behind him, but he’s not quite fast enough and the niffler squeezes through just before he shuts it. Louis groans and flings open the door to the sight of Professor Styles standing on top of his desk shooting god knows what ridiculous charms at the niffler instead of just binding him. Small objects are flying about the room, and Louis has to duck numerous times to avoid being hit by small bits of metal and coins. He finally realises Professor Styles must be summoning shiny objects from all over his office. The niffler apparently is dead set on the rings though because it’s not even trying to go after the other things flying about the room.

“Stop! Just take off the rings!” Louis yells. “I’ll buy you new rings! If you don’t, you’ll have no fingers to put those rings on anyway!”

Professor Styles shrieks and slides the rings off his fingers and flings them across the room. The niffler dives after them, and Louis is able to point his wand directly at the troublesome thing and conjure thin ropes to bind the creature. He walks over and picks up the niffler as the Weasleys stare wide-eyed from the doorway. “I’ll be returning this to Professor Hagrid when he returns, and I’ll be letting him know what’s happened to his niffler. I’m sure he’d like to arrange for your detentions himself.”

He takes a good look at which Weasleys, so he can tell Hagrid who the culprits are and sees both boys shudder. It will do them good to have to traipse through the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid protecting monsters that Hagrid thinks are cute.

He holds the niffler under one arm as he escorts the boys out of Professor Styles’ office, back through the dungeons, and directly to the greenhouses, which seems to be where they’ve snuck off from.

After his little niffler adventure, he finally makes it back to his own office for a cup of tea. He takes a sip and leans back in his chair when there’s a knock at the door. He sighs and says, “Come in.”

Surprisingly, it’s Professor Styles who opens the door and stands in the doorway, leaning against one side of it, his hand propped on his opposite hip. “So,” he says as he walks slowly into the office.

“Yes?”

“You’re going to buy me new rings, are you?”

“Oh. Ehm--yes? I suppose I could. Didn’t realize the niffler got them all in his pouch before I could capture him. Did you have particular ones in mind or--”

“Don’t you think you should take me to dinner first before you buy me a ring?”

Louis feels his cheeks heat up a bit and a slow tingle along his spine. Professor Styles is flirting with him. Oh god. “If you’d want--ehm--” He gets control of himself and stands up from his chair, shaking his shoulders out a bit. “Harry, I’d love to take you to dinner tonight before I buy you as many rings as a niffler can hold.”

Harry pretends to think about it, but he’s smiling so widely his dimples dip deeply into his cheeks. “That’s a lot of rings, Louis. See you tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3
> 
>  
> 
> [fic post](http://allwaswell16.tumblr.com/post/181018408176/each-chapter-of-this-work-is-a-ficlet-dedicated-to)


	2. 500 Miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis hates being ignored, and he knows just how to get his roommates attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [always-aqua](https://always-aqua.tumblr.com/)! I hope you enjoy your ficlet! <3

Harry isn’t speaking to him. 

Louis stretches out on the bottom bunk bed and watches him type at the desk, his shoulders hunched in as he click clacks away at the keyboard. He supposes Harry really is working on homework, but he’s also definitely ignoring him. 

Louis sighs loudly and scrolls through Instagram, but his eyes keep returning to the boy at the desk. It’s ridiculous really. Harry’s clearly got some kind of problem with Louis now when they’ve been getting along so well since the start of the semester.

It’s been perfect really. Louis hadn’t ever dreamed that when he started college, he’d end up with a roommate as amazing as Harry. They’ve been getting along so well and honestly, he would have said Harry is his best friend now, which is really strange for him because he thought he’d have a hard time being as close to anyone as his friends from back home. 

But it’s just been so easy with Harry. It’s always felt like they could tell each other anything, and they like the same kind of music and have the same sense of humor and have all sorts of things in common. They even dislike the same kinds of things; they both hate repetitive song lyrics and brussel sprouts and when there are puddles and water seeps up your pant legs until even your calves are wet.

Somehow, something changed last night. 

Louis is still trying to piece it together as he likes a few of Liam’s pics from last night. They were at a frat party just hanging out with Niall, Harry’s friend from his art classes, and Liam, Louis’ friend from his biology class. Just drinking and having a laugh. 

Then, the dancing started. Things get a little fuzzy in his memory as the night went on. He remembers dancing with Harry and feeling a little fluttery--something in his stomach. Harry’s a very attractive guy after all. He’s got lovely brown curls and soft pink lips and wide green eyes. And then there’s his body.

He blushes at the memory of Harry’s long limbs wrapped around him, pressing him into the hardness of his lean body. He knows they were just a little drunk though. That’s all that was. Is that why Harry’s acting this way? So he isn’t into Louis, and he’s trying to make that clear? 

Louis stares at the back of Harry’s curly head. Fucker, he thinks. Louis could handle being rejected if Harry was just honest about it and would just fucking  _ talk _ to him. 

That’s it. He’s had enough of this.

Louis pulls up Spotify and thinks hard for a minute. Yes, that’s the one. The most annoying song in the world. If he thinks it’s annoying, he knows Harry will, too. He quickly types in a few words and finds what he’s looking for before turning the volume off vibrate on his phone. 

_ “When I wake up--” _ blares from Louis’ phone even startling himself.

He sees Harry jump a bit in his seat, but he doesn’t turn around.

_ “--well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you.” _

“Louis, can you turn that down? I’m trying to work on my art history essay.”

Well, at least Harry is talking to him now. He ignores the request though.

_ “When I go out, yeah I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who goes along with you.” _

Harry turns around in his chair to look at him with his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Louis grins back.

_ “If I get drunk, well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you.” _

“Louis, please turn that off.”

_ “And if I haver up, yeah I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s havering to you.” _

Now that Louis is listening to the lyrics, he’s less sure about his song choice. Yes, it’s annoying, but also the lyrics are kind of making him uncomfortable. He didn’t mean to declare himself via annoying song lyrics. 

_ “But I would walk five hundred miles. And I would walk 500 more. Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” _

He looks at Harry. He looks thoroughly annoyed. Good. He’s not reading too much into the song then.

_ “When I’m working, yes I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s working hard for you.” _

“Louis!” Harry says more loudly. “That’s so annoying. Turn it off!”

Louis turns up the volume. 

_ “And when the money comes in for the work I do, I’ll pass almost every penny on to you. When I come home (when I come home) well I know I’m gonna be I’m gonna be the man who comes back home to you.” _

Harry’s lips are pressed into a thin line as he stares back at Louis. 

_ “And if I grow old (when I grow old) well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s growing old with you.” _

“This isn’t funny, Louis.” 

It’s actually pretty damn funny.

_ “But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more. Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” _

Louis jumps up out of bed and starts dancing around like an idiot, singing the lyrics along to the loud sound of The Proclaimer’s singing,  _ “Ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da da den te la dan te la dan te le la da da, Ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da da ta, ta da--Oof!” _

Well, he didn’t see that coming. Harry’s tackled him onto the bed, his face only a few inches from his own. He looks so upset that Louis actually feels a little badly now. He just wanted Harry to talk to him, not be angry with him. Maybe he took this too far. 

The Proclaimer’s are still singing their annoying song as Harry wrestles the phone out of his hand and clicks it off. Harry’s still laying on top of him, pinning him to the bed with his weight. Louis stops struggling as his heart pounds a little harder in his chest. He feels a tingle of sensation dance across his skin and down his spine. 

“Why are you doing this?” Harry asks, clearly still annoyed.

Louis sighs. So much for anything ever happening between them. It’s fine, but Harry needs to just talk to him and not ignore him. 

“You’re ignoring me.”

Harry sits up too quickly and hits his head on the wooden slats above him. “Ow.”

Louis just continues to lay there. He feels a little miserable now. “Why are you ignoring me?”

Harry sighs and slumps back against the wall, his long legs spread out before him on Louis’ bed. “I’m sorry, Louis. I just--last night was really hard for me. I know it isn’t--fair to you that I’m so--” 

“What?”

Harry runs a hand through his hair as he whispers, “Jealous.”

“Jealous?” Louis is honestly stunned and confused. Very confused. “Jealous about what?”

“You were dancing with other guys at the party last night, and I just couldn’t handle seeing you with guys who aren’t--well--me.”

Louis can’t keep his jaw from hanging open. “I--what--you’re--”

“It won’t happen again. I know you’re not interested in me as more than a friend, and I swear that will be enough for me even though I’m in love with you,” Harry says as he moves to shuffle off Louis’ bed.

Louis’ head is spinning at this revelation, but his body knows what to do. He tackles Harry backwards until he’s on top of him. “You’re in love with me?”

Harry closes his eyes. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Louis asks.

“Because you don’t feel the same way.”

“You idiot. I just danced around our room singing you the world’s most annoying love song. Now kiss me, you fool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3


	3. Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis hates winter. Then he begins receiving anonymous gifts to keep him warm, and maybe winter isn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks! Hope you enjoy your ficlet [dimpled-halo](https://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/)! <3

Louis hates winter.

Well, maybe he wouldn’t hate it so much except he lives in Kansas where it gets cold as fuck. He can make it through December because of his birthday and Christmas, but once it hits January, he’s had enough of winter.

He starts his car to warm it up a little and then gets back out to scrape it. His teeth chatter as he scrapes ice off his windshield. He should really get some gloves. And a scarf. And a hat. Maybe some thermal undershirts. He’s an adult. He should really have things like this. And yet, here is like a dumbass scraping his Corolla with the world’s tiniest ice scraper. He adds  _ bigger ice scraper _ to the mental list of things he needs that he never remembers to buy.

He gets back into the car, which just barely feels warmer than it did before he started it and heads to work. He’s, of course, nearly late as it took him so long to scrape the windshield, which means he has to park a million miles away in the parking lot. 

Any warmth he once had from being in the car has vanished by the time he enters the building. He heads straight for the cafeteria and says hello to a table of his co-workers as he heads straight for the coffee. He desperately needs something warm before he has to spend the day in his cubicle writing insurance quotes.

“You look cold, Tommo!” Niall calls to him from the table with a laugh. Louis gives him a middle finger that he can barely get up because he’s so cold. He does a double take when he realizes Harry is at the table. He looks warm and delicious in a thick, lavender sweater. Louis shakes his head at the thought and tries to sniffle his runny nose from the cold. Real attractive, he sighs. 

When he gets to his desk, he’s surprised to find a lovely, blue scarf folded neatly on top of a stack of files. It looks warm and is quite soft to the touch. Did someone drop it here? No, it’s folded. Someone must have thought it was his. With a wistful sigh, he walks it to the lost and found and reluctantly leaves it in the box. He wishes it really was his. 

The next day as his teeth are still chattering when he makes his way into work, he finds the scarf back on his desk, but this time with a note.  _ The scarf is for you. Hope you like it.  _

Louis feels his cheeks heat up, which is something considering how cold he is right now. He looks around the large room of cubicles to see if anyone is watching him, but he doesn’t notice anyone looking at him particularly. 

He holds the soft scarf in his hands and notices that it seems to be knitted by hand as there’s no tag. He sits down and stares at it. Who would do this for him? Doesn’t it take a long time to knit a scarf? 

At the end of the day, he wraps the scarf around himself and heads back out into the brutal cold. For the first time in months, part of him actually stays warm on his drive home. He silently thanks his anonymous benefactor for it.

A week later the weather has not gotten any warmer, and Louis walks into work with his scarf practically wrapped around his entire head. When he gets to his desk, he finds a knitted hat in the same soft blue color as the scarf. He can’t help the smile that creeps across his face.

He doesn’t try to take this one to the lost and found. No, someone has definitely made this one just for him. Maybe it’s Martha in HR. She seems like a grandmotherly type. Maybe she knits. 

When some of his co-workers ask him if he’s going out for lunch, he actually decides to join them. He won’t be quite as cold now that he has the hat and scarf. At noon, they pile into Niall’s car and Harry’s SUV and head to Jacky’s Cafe for sandwiches. 

Louis jumps into Niall’s front seat before anyone else can. “So what’s everyone want to listen to?” He asks as he takes over Niall’s phone for the music. “Britney? Okay, good.”

Everyone groans as  _ Toxic _ blares from Niall’s speakers. 

“You’re as bad as Styles,” Liam says from the backseat. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“He’s obsessed with Britney, too,” Liam says with a shake of his head.

“Huh.”

They grab a couple of tables and order their food at the counter. Louis orders soup to try and keep warm. When he sits down, he realizes he’s sat across from Harry. 

“I like your hat,” Harry says as Louis pulls it off his head and sticks it in his coat pocket. 

“Oh, uh--thanks. Someone made it for me, I think.” He shrugs and gives him a smile before he starts sipping spoonfuls of cheesy potato soup. 

He notices Harry eats tongue first, and it makes him shift a bit in his seat. Harry has a long tongue. Probably good at--using it. He quickly averts his eyes back to his soup.

Louis goes out to lunch the rest of the week and somehow starts finding himself in Harry’s SUV instead of Niall’s car. He tells himself it’s so he and Harry can blast Britney without bothering anyone. Well, maybe it bothers Zayn and Tabitha in the backseat as he and Harry sing  _ Oops...I Did It Again _ at the top of their voices.

He manages to stay fairly warm with his hat and scarf and just keeps his hands in his pockets to stay warm. On Monday, he finds a sweater on his desk that matches the color of the hat and scarf. He’s so pleased that he puts it on immediately over his shirt. It’s so warm and cozy, but he just wishes he could thank whoever is doing this. He asks around if Martha knits and apparently no one has ever heard her say anything about knitting. He literally has no idea who would be gifting him these lovely handmade things. 

At lunch, Zayn notices his sweater. “Hey, is that new? Looks warm.”

“My sweater? Yeah it’s really warm. And uh, yeah it’s new, I guess.”

“It matches your eyes. Is that why you got it?”

“What?”

“The color of your sweater,” Zayn explains. “And your hat and scarf. They all match your eyes. Looks nice, bro.”

“Uh, thanks,” Louis answers right before Harry spills his tea all over the floor, and Jacky has to come mop it up. 

The next morning he goes out to start his car, and the key just turns in the ignition. Fucking hell. He must have left a door open and now the battery is dead. It’s far too late to do anything about it right now, or he’ll be late to work.

“Hey, Lou. What’s up?”

“Hey, Ni. Can you pick me up on your way to work?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“I’m an idiot, and my battery died.”

“Ah, okay. Well, I’ll swing by. I’m just about to leave.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. He’ll deal with his dumb car later. 

At lunch, only he and Niall and Harry are able to leave work today, so the three of them climb into Niall’s car.

“Hey, Tommo, I forgot I have a dentist appointment after work today,” Niall mentions as he drives them towards Jacky’s. “Do you still need a ride after work?”

“Oh, shit. My car. I forgot.”

“What’s wrong with your car?” Harry asks as he turns around in the front seat to look at Louis, his eyebrows furrowed.

“It wouldn’t start today. I think I left a door open or something, and my battery died.”

“I have jumper cables,” Harry says. “I could take you home after work and jump the car for you.”

“Really? Thanks, Harry! You’re the best.”

Harry’s cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink, and Louis thinks about how pretty he looks when his green eyes shine and his curls fall over his ears and his dimples press into his cheeks. He catches himself staring and quickly looks away. 

At the end of the day, Harry stops at his desk and looks at him a bit strangely, his teeth pressing into his bottom lip. “Hey, Lou. You ready?”

“Yeah, let me log out.” He quickly clicks out of what he’s working on and grabs his coat. He winds the sweater around his neck and puts his hat on. As they walk towards Harry’s SUV, Louis slips his hands into his pockets to keep warm. 

“So, what do you--where do--I mean, how is--” Harry splutters before he stops and takes a breath.

Louis looks at him curiously. Harry seems--nervous or something. 

“Um, sorry. Meant to just ask what you uh--do for fun? Like on the weekends?” Harry’s cheeks turn bright red, and Louis isn’t sure if he’s embarrassed or if it’s just from the cold. “I’m not from around here? So I--”

Louis waits for him to finish speaking, but they’ve arrived at his SUV. Harry is looking through the window in horror. Louis looks through the window at the passenger seat expecting to see a mess of take out containers or something, but instead he sees something much more interesting. 

There in the passenger seat is a bag full of soft blue yarn, the exact same shade as Louis’ scarf and hat and sweater. A pair of mittens sit next to the bag, knitted to match the scarf and hat and sweater. It looks like there’s a note next to it, but it’s folded so he can’t read the words.

“Ummmm---” Harry says. “I can explain.” 

Louis waits for him to explain.

Harry says nothing. 

“Open the door, Harry.”

“Ummm, I don’t think---”

“I’m cold.”

Harry opens the door immediately. Apparently, Harry cares a lot about his warmth. He grabs the bag, slips the mittens on his hands, and climbs into the seat. Harry is still standing outside the SUV, looking like he’s thinking about moving to Antarctica. 

“Get in the car, Harry!” Louis calls out loudly.

Harry opens the door and sits down. He doesn’t look at Louis. Just stares through the windshield and turns the car on. The speakers blast, “ _ You drive me crazy. I just can’t sleep. I’m so excited. I’m in too deep. Oh crazy, but it feels all right. Baby thinking of you keeps me up all night.” _

“Oh god.” Harry turns the volume off abruptly. “Sorry.”

Louis suddenly realizes he has the note in his mittens. He can barely pull the paper apart to see what it says with the mittens on, but he manages. 

The note says:  _ I’m s _ _ MITTEN _ _ with you. _ The ‘mitten’ part is in capital letters and is underlined as though to make sure the recipient understood the pun.

“Oh my god.”

Harry puts his head in his hands. “Uh, I’m really sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I just knew you were cold all the time and I like to knit and I really like you and I didn’t know how to ask you out and then I kept making you new things and then--”

“Harry?”

“Yeah?” He asks from between his fingers still covering his face.

“Thank you for the mittens.”

“You’re welcome,” Harry mumbles. 

“I’m s _ mitten _ with you, too. And that was before I knew you were making all these for me.”

“You are?” Harry turns so suddenly and whips his hands away from his face that he hits his hand on the steering wheel. “Ow.”

Louis takes Harry’s hand in his mittens and gives it a little kiss. Harry’s cheeks turn pink again. Louis loves making that happen. “Now after you give me a jump, I’d love to take you out to dinner.”

“What?!” Harry’s eyes widen, and his mouth falls open. 

“My car? You were going to jump my car for me.”

Harry slaps a hand to his forehead. “Oh. Right, right. God. Okay, right. Yes, I can do that.” 

Louis laughs. “Well, maybe I’ll let you jump me when we get back from dinner, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3


	4. Grease Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis' cat likes to give out his phone number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, [lululawrence](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/)! Hope you enjoy your ficlet! <3

“Danny! Danny Zuko, get back in here this minute!” Louis calls after the black streak that is his sister’s cat currently headed for the ravine behind his house. He gives chase for about thirty seconds before he knows he’s beat.

He sighs and goes back in the house for cat treats. 

“Danny!” He calls while he shakes the bag of treats. “I’ve got cat treats, you stupid cat!”

The cat apparently doesn’t care as he doesn’t suddenly appear in front of him. He knows from experience now that the cat will either suddenly appear on the deck and meow at the window until he lets him in, or he’ll get a phone call because someone has captured him. 

No one has ever given out his phone number like this cat does.

He’s only had Danny Zuko for three weeks, ever since his sister left to study abroad in Italy. It’s not that he minds having a cat. Danny is warm and soft and sweet. He just wishes he didn’t have a penchant for escaping outside. His sister claims he never tried to escape when she had him in her small campus apartment. Maybe this new behavior is just because the cat can see wildlife from the windows now. 

He sighs and goes back inside to write. His editor has been hounding him for the next chapter. He’ll just have to wait until the cat decides to come home, or he gets yet another phone call. 

The phone rings thirty minutes later. 

“Hello, Mrs. Miller--He’s doing what now--Oh god--So sorry--I’ll be right over.”

He shuts his laptop closed and quickly slides his feet into some sneakers and runs out the front door. He can already see Danny perched on Mrs. Miller’s window sill across the street. Her dog is barking incessantly from inside the window. He races over to capture Danny before he can escape again. 

Mrs. Miller walks out onto her front steps. “When does your sister get back from Italy?”

“December.” 

It’s August. He can see Mrs. Miller calculating the many months left to deal with Danny harassing her dog before she frowns and heads back inside. Louis takes Danny home and tries to finish the chapter. 

It’s three days before Danny manages to escape again just as Louis tries to head out to go grocery shopping on a Monday morning. He swears the cat came out of nowhere to dart between his legs and gallop off towards the ravine.

He just watches him go with a groan. He debates about whether or not to just go grocery shopping or wait until the cat comes back. It makes him nervous to just leave though. On the other side of the ravine is a parking lot for an engineering firm. He has no idea if Danny ever goes that far, but it makes him really uneasy.

He decides to go back inside and wait for Danny. He doesn’t want to be in the middle of grocery shopping if one of his neighbors calls about the cat. On the plus side, he knows his neighbors about a hundred times better than he did three weeks ago. 

Although Mrs. Miller is less than enthused about Danny, there’s an Irish guy around the corner that he didn’t even know lived there who just laughed when the cat kept coming over to watch the birds at his bird feeder. And now he’s finally spoken to the Lopez family three doors down that owns his favorite Mexican restaurant, and they sent him home with a Tupperware container filled with enchiladas last time Danny showed up on their porch. 

So now quite a few of his neighbors have his phone number, and it’s sort of comforting in a way. He’s lived here for five years and not really known any of them beyond a wave or a passing hello when they’re out in their yards raking leaves or shoveling snow.

Two hours go by, and Louis is starting to worry now. Danny usually shows up within an hour. He tries to work on the next chapter of his novel, but he just can’t concentrate. He tries going outside multiple times to shake the treat bag, but no small black cat appears. 

As he’s standing on his deck looking into the ravine for any sign of the cat, his cell phone starts buzzing in his hand. It’s a number he doesn’t recognize, so Danny must have ended up somewhere new. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, um--I got this number from your cat, Danny. Just wanted to make sure he’s just visiting and isn’t lost. He’s playing in the bushes by my work, and--”

“Oh, uh--I guess he’s sort of just visiting, but I’ll come and get him. Where do you work?”

“Elliot Engineering. Our address is--”

“Oh god, I think I can see you through the trees.” Louis looks through the ravine and thinks he can spot a person wearing a pink shirt. Is the person waving?

“Are you wearing white?”

Louis looks down at his shirt. “Uh, yeah I am.” 

“I think I can see you, too!”

“Great. I’m gonna just make my way through the ravine and grab my naughty cat.”

He hangs up and starts making his way down the steep sides of the ravine. He accidentally slips when he gets close to the stream at the bottom and steps one foot into the water. “Fucking hell.”

He slops up the other side of the ravine with one sopping wet sneaker to the sight of a gorgeous man smiling at him, dimples creasing his cheeks. He’s got a mop of brown curls and a black cat in his pink polka dot covered arms. 

Louis says nothing at first, stunned by the sight of a beautiful man holding his cat. “Hi, um--I guess you found my cat.”

“Hi! Yes, he’s absolutely adorable! I had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to be out here running around though.”

“Er, yeah--I mean, no. He’s not supposed to be running around. Actually, he’s not my cat, but he’s sort of my cat. Thanks for calling me.” He reaches for Danny, but the traitor just snuggles into the pretty man instead. 

The man barks out a laugh. “I guess he likes me.”

Danny’s not the only one, Louis thinks. 

“So what do you mean, he’s only sort of your cat?”

“Well, Danny actually belongs to my sister. She’s studying abroad in Italy for a semester though.”

The man’s face lights up. “Really? Where’s she at?”

“Trastevere--” Louis begins.

“Roma!” 

Louis runs his fingers across the front of his hair and wonders if it’s in disarray. “Um, yeah.”

“I love Rome! I once spent a year there. Are you going to visit her while she’s there?”

“Maybe? I was thinking about it.” Why is he discussing his plans with this cute stranger?

“Oh, you have to! If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

“Um--”

“Oh. Right. We don’t actually know each other. Sorry. I’m Harry.” Harry sticks out a hand, still holding Danny with the other large hand.

“Louis.” His hand is nearly engulfed by Harry’s bigger one. 

“Nice to meet you, Louis. And your cat. Danny is a cute name for a cat by the way.”

“It’s actually Danny Zuko.” Louis says, his cheeks heating up. “She let me name him.”

“Ah, a Grease fan, eh?”

Louis smiles sheepishly. “A bit.”

“Me too. Your cat really is like Grease Lightning. Very fast.”

He stands there a bit foolishly just staring at Harry, until Harry suddenly realizes why they’re both still standing here. “Oh, right. Your cat.” 

Harry pries Danny off his shoulder and hands him to Louis. 

“Thanks, Harry.”

“Anytime! Well, anytime Danny ends up over here anyway.”

Louis nods and smiles at Harry before he starts walking back around the ravine. No way is he going to try going through it again. He wishes he had the nerve to say something more to Harry. Ask him if he’s single somehow. He looks back over his shoulder and sees that Harry is watching him walk away. 

Harry waves at him. Louis waves back and quickly turns around to head home. 

“Hey, Louis!”

He turns back around as Harry is walking quickly to catch up to him. His heart pounds a little harder. “Yeah?”

“Uh, what I said about Rome? I could help you plan a trip if you want. I mean, I know we don’t know each other, but--you have my phone number if you need it.”

Is Harry trying to just be absurdly nice to a stranger or is he interested, too? The constant dilemma. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know.”

Harry looks a little disappointed at his response, which he thinks about the entire time he walks home with Danny Zuko in his arms. It takes a while since he’s walking all the way around the ravine.

By the time he gets home and puts Danny in the house, he grabs his reusable bags and gets to the front door to finally go grocery shopping when he stops. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and changes the last call he got to a new contact.  _ Harry _ . 

He presses the new contact to a message and takes a deep breath. 

_ Hi, Harry. Decided to text you instead of waiting for my cat to make a move for me. Would you like to go get dinner sometime? _

He holds his breath as he sees the dots appear on the screen indicating that Harry is texting him back immediately. 

_ I was going to text you after work and ask you out, so yes I’d love to get dinner with you. How about tonight? Seven o’clock? I’ll pick you up so I can see Danny again. _

Louis stares at the message, a ridiculous grin spread across his face. 

_ It’s a date. _

Danny rubs himself against Louis’ leg and purrs. Louis picks him up and snuggles him close. “You make a pretty good wingman, Danny Zuko.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3


	5. The Duke's Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Duke of Yorkshire must find a mate, and the omega he finds hiding from his country ball intrigues him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks [becomeawendybird](http://becomeawendybird.tumblr.com/)! I hope you enjoy your ficlet!

Louis, the Duke of Yorkshire, stared around the ballroom of his country manor house, utterly bored out of his mind.

He was fairly certain he had met every suitable omega in all of England this Season, and not one had taken his interest. He had made an excuse about the estate needing his attention and left London for home, and then, suddenly, he had a house full of people and a country ball being planned in his midst. Apparently, his mother was getting desperate.

At least his eldest sisters had seemed excited about it. Only Charlotte was out, but since they were in the country at their own estate, Felicite was allowed to attend the ball under very strict guidelines set out by their mother. He knew Felicite would abide by them. She would not want to risk their mother’s wrath.

The rest of his siblings seemed happy to be back in the country with room to roam about the estate and ride their horses. Perhaps, it had been good for all them to take a break. Well, everyone but him anyway. His mother had managed to bring his duties right to his doorstep.

He spotted Lord Payne across the ballroom and made a surreptitious nod of his head that he returned with a smile. Louis did his best to appear as though he was walking towards the punch before he slipped through a door and escaped. He took a few odd turns before he made his way to the library to find his friend already in the room enjoying his brandy.

“Fine stuff, your Grace.”

“You’re welcome, Payne.”

Lord Payne, the Earl of Wolverhampton and his longtime friend, toasted him, and then, said, “Estate’s kept me away from London most of the Season, but figured I could make it to this. Lend your mother a hand in selecting a mate for you.”

Louis coughed on his brandy. “Are you in your cups? What a plumper.”

Lord Payne laughed loudly. “Just here to help. I’m surprised you haven’t found anyone to your liking as of yet. Why not just pick one and have done with it?”

“Why don’t you?” Louis retorted.

“Ah, as to that--” Lord Payne took a long drink. “You’re likely the only person I’d ever speak of this to, but I’ve spent so much time at my estate because we’re having quite a few issues. I don’t fancy taking a mate until I have things figured out. My uncle left behind quite a disaster, I’m afraid.”

“Sorry to hear that, Payne. Is there anything I can do?”

“I think I have it all in hand now.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Lord Payne raised an eyebrow in query. “What’s your reasoning then? I’ve told you mine.”

Louis ran his fingers across the front of his hair. He had not had any intention of speaking about this, but Lord Payne’s confession was prompting him a bit. “I don’t wish for a marriage of convenience.”

Lord Payne let out a low whistle. “A love match then? Wouldn’t have taken you for a romantic, Tomlinson.”

“I just--it is not that I am looking for a love match precisely. I just do not intend to stray from my omega as much of our lot do. I have been raised as the only alpha amongst many omegas. I could never do to an omega what I would not wish to see happen to a member of my own family.”

Lord Payne looked at him thoughtfully. “I can understand that. Well, if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for here, perhaps you should travel a bit. Visit Lord Horan and see if an Irish omega takes your fancy.”

Louis huffed out a laugh. “Perhaps.” It _would_ give him an excuse to visit Niall, another of their old school friends. He and Lord Payne finished their brandys, and then began making their way back towards the ballroom.

As they reached the door to the drawing room, Louis heard the sound of a small voice. He smiled. Most likely one of the little ones had made their way downstairs to spy on the ball. “Go on ahead, Payne. I think my brother or sisters have gotten out of bed.”

He slowly pushed the door to the drawing open just a fraction to peer into the room. The room was only dimly lit by a few candles. His eyes locked upon the source of the voice immediately. It was in fact more than one voice. Sprawled on the floor beside his youngest sister, sat the most beautiful omega Louis had ever laid eyes upon. He was a diamond of the first water, and yet, here he sat with his long legs spread before him whilst he played a game of draughts with his little sister in her nightdress.

The first voice he heard was rather surprising, slow and thick as honey. “Sorry, Doris, but no. I’m a bit competitive, I’m afraid. I shan’t be losing to you.”

Doris giggled and moved her checkers across the board. “Well, I shan’t be losing to you either, Harry.”

 _Harry_. This gorgeous creature was named Harry. Doris seemed to be speaking to this Harry as though she knew him. She was not the friendliest child at all, so it seemed a bit odd she would speak to a stranger.

Louis watched as Harry’s pretty pink lips formed teasing words, and he wished to see the colour of the flashing eyes that currently had not yet noticed his presence. He needed to find out who this Harry was exactly.

He took a step into the room.

“Louis!” Doris said as she jumped up and ran to him. He picked her up in his arms.

“Doris, what are you doing out of bed, young lady? And keeping this young man from our ball?”

“I’m sorry, Louis,” Doris said, her lips turned comically down in the corners. “I couldn’t sleep and when I snuck downstairs, I saw Harry sneaking into the drawing room.”

Louis chanced a glance at Harry whose cheeks flushed noticeably even in the dim light as he got to his feet a bit awkwardly, his toes pointing inward.

“I see,” Louis said. “I think you’d best run up to bed, love. Before mother catches you.”

Doris’ eyes grew wide, and she nodded quickly before she dashed to the door. “Bye, Harry!”

Harry waved a bit weakly after her. Doris shut the door behind her, and Louis suddenly realised the impropriety of their situation. And yet, he was reluctant to escort this omega back to the ballroom when he could have him alone here.

“Harry, did she call you?”

“Yes, your Grace,” Harry said quietly, his eyes upon the floor.

“Why aren’t you at the ball, Harry? Why are you sneaking into my mother’s drawing room to play children’s games with my sister?”

Harry’s lips pressed together, and he gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “I find I don’t enjoy balls very much, your Grace.”

How very perplexing. Why would a beautiful omega such as he not want to attend a duke’s ball? He took the opportunity to look his fill whilst Harry’s eyes remained on the floor. Harry appeared to be dressed in fairly typical omega clothing, soft creams and pinks. Now that he stood, Louis noticed his height was a bit remarkable for an omega, but not outlandishly tall by any means. And certainly, his figure was not what was the current fashion, however, Louis found his thoughts straying into untoward territory at the thought of how he would like to wrap Harry’s lean legs around his own waist.

“Why don’t you enjoy balls, if I might ask?” Louis queried.

Harry finally looked up.

Harry’s clear green eyes looked a bit defiant as he gazed into Louis’, and he took the time to peruse the lovely lines of Harry’s pretty face and soft brown curls. “People don’t wish to dance with an awkward, country bluestocking, I’ve found.”

Harry made towards the door as though to leave, but Louis simply could not let him go like this. He caught his arm as Harry gasped. A spark of flames licked through Louis’ body at just this slight touch.

“Harry?”

“Yes?”

“May I have the honour of your next dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3


	6. Baby, All I Want For Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Louis shops for his siblings’ Christmas gifts, he finds a good reason to keep returning to the same shop–a very cute boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for donating [flicker-album](http://flicker-album.tumblr.com/)! I hope you enjoy your ficlet! <3

Louis loathes Christmas shopping. 

He badgers Liam and Niall into going with him though, so at least he’s not spending the Sunday before Christmas miserably shopping alone.

“Why can’t you just shop online like everyone else?” Niall grumbles as they look for a parking space in the enormous outdoor mall’s parking lot. 

“I lose track of what I buy,” Louis explains. “Last year, I bought Lottie three of the same makeup palette. This year, I’m just going to get it all in one go.”

“You should make a list,” Liam says as he honks at someone’s who has just pulled into a space before him. “Damn it.”

Louis rolls his eyes. A list. As though he’s ever been that organized. No, this is the only way to do this.

They circle around a few more times before they finally find a spot that seems to be approximately a mile from the actual mall. 

“Why’d we have to come to an outdoor mall?” Niall complains as he pulls up the hood of his huge black puffy parka. “It’s cold as balls out here.”

“It’s got every store I need in one place,” Louis says. “Stop being such a baby about this, Neil. You didn’t have to come you know.”

“You said, and I quote, “Niall, get your ass over here. Liam is taking us shopping. If you don’t come, I’m never giving you back your Xbox.”

Louis just shrugs. “When am I ever serious though, Neil?”

“And anyway, why didn’t Zayn have to come?” Niall continues to complain.

“He doesn’t respond to my threats.”

Their first stop is to buy Liam’s mom some perfume, which actually seems like a decent idea for his own. One gift down, twenty to go.

The day actually isn’t so bad. It’s not as cold as Niall acts like it is, and the entire mall is decked out in festive colors. There’s a Santa sitting in a giant sleigh, and a stand of chestnuts being roasted, making the area around it smell delicious. They stop and have lunch, and send Liam back to the car with their purchases from this morning. Louis is nearly done with his shopping, already and he’s congratulating himself on this great idea.

“Just need toys for the little kids after this,” he says.

“The toy store is back towards the car, “ Liam mentions, and they head in that general direction, only stopping to sample peppermint fudge at the confectionary. 

As they walk past the huge toy soldier sentries into the colorful, noisy toy store, Louis mentally ticks off the kids he needs to buy for: Doris, Ernie, Daisy, and Phoebe. He’ll probably grab a few smaller things for their stockings as well to help out his mom. 

It’s kind of nice to actually have some extra money to spend on them all this year.  When he’d dropped out of art school to open a tattoo shop with Zayn last year, he knows his mom had been disappointed. But when he shows her all these perfect gifts, he thinks it will ease her mind a bit to know how well the shop is doing.

He looks around at the dolls for Doris and suddenly notices that Liam and Niall have disappeared. They’re probably both in the electronics section, shoving kids out of the way to play a new video game. He finds a doll that talks and has multiple sets of clothes and decides to buy that one. He’s just about to pick it up, when someone speaks to him.

“Can I help you find anything?”

The low, thick rumble of the voice makes Louis shiver, and he hasn’t even turned to look at the guy. It’s been too long since Louis went on a date much less got laid. 

“Umm--” He begins, but then he gets a look at the clerk and feels his neck and face growing warm. The guy is smiling at him with huge dimples creasing his handsome face. He’s slightly taller than Louis with long brown hair curling over his ears, and his clear green eyes stare directly into his own, making him feel a little unnerved. 

“A doll?”

The clerk, Harry according to his name badge, lets out a loud bark of a laugh that he quickly stifles. “Well, you’re in the right aisle. How old is the child you’re buying for?”

“Oh, uh--three. My sister’s three.”

“I see.” Harry’s eyebrows furrow as he looks away from Louis and at the array of boxed dolls before him. “Does she startle easily?”

“No? I don’t think so.”

Harry nods. “Okay, so maybe something that walks or talks? Do you have a particular budget for the gift?”

“No,” Louis says, a bit delighted that he can say that. He could buy Doris the most expensive doll in the whole store if he wants. 

“Okay, well--” Harry leads him a few paces away to some dolls Louis hadn’t noticed before. “These dolls both make baby noises and take a bottle, which kids seem to really enjoy. There are many separate accessories that can be bought at a later date, which is nice for future gift giving opportunities. I’m a bit partial to the baby carrier accessory that the kids can wear the baby with.”

Those dolls do seem a bit cooler than the one he had picked out. He reaches out and picks up the box. “Cool. Thanks, Harry.”

He looks up at Harry and finds that he’s staring at him with his cheeks a bit flushed. Harry seems to snap out of it in a moment. “Oh--name badge. Right. Ha. Yeah. Umm--I can ring you up if you’re done. Like not ring you up on the phone. I mean, I can check you out. Er--at the cash register.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can check me out now,” he says with a wide grin.

Harry blush deepens, and he lets out an embarrassed laugh. He leads Louis towards an open  cash register. Louis hands over his credit card before he realizes he didn’t buy any of the other toys he was supposed to buy, and he has no idea where his friends are. This very cute guy has completely derailed him. 

“Thanks for shopping with us, Louis.”

The surprise of hearing his name jolts him back to reality. Harry hands back his credit card. Right. He must have seen his name on his credit card. “Yeah, thanks for your help--Harry.”

“Anytime. Have a nice day!”

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he pulls it out to see that Liam and Niall grew restless and are out at the chestnut stand buying roasted nuts. He’s sure there’s a joke there somewhere. 

He heads out of the store to find them.

Liam eyes his purchase curiously. “Tommo, why do you only have one bag?”

“Well, I only bought Doris’ gift.”

Niall looks at him with concern. “So you’re going to have to come back? But I don’t have to come, right? Right? I got shit to do, Tommo! Why didn’t you buy all the--”

“Jesus, Niall. You don’t have to come back, okay? I just--got distracted. That’s all.” Niall doesn’t need to know that he got distracted by a pair of green eyes and curly hair. 

*

Louis doesn’t have any appointments until late Monday afternoon, so he eats lunch and heads back out to the mall. It’s not nearly as busy today, but there’s still a fair number of shoppers this close to Christmas. 

He finds himself standing in front of the huge toy soldiers fidgeting with his hair. Is it going to be weird that he’s back the very next day? He glances across from the toy store and sees a clothing store. Maybe he should buy something to make it look like he’s just out shopping again. He heads inside the clothing store before he can give it another thought. 

He wishes he’d given it another thought. 

Everything in the place seems excessively expensive. He’s not got time to shop somewhere else when he needs to get back to the shop. He finds a sale rack and looks for the least expensive shirt. It costs fifty-six dollars, which just seems utterly ridiculous, but he really doesn’t want to buy something he’ll never use like a pocket square or a tie clip. So a fifty-six dollar t shirt it is. 

He hurries back to the toy store with his purchase and heads inside to look for Harry--er, a toy for Ernie. He tries to remember what Ernie is into--Sesame Street, PJ Masks, oh, and he loves playing on Louis’ keyboard when he comes over to Louis’ apartment. So maybe a toy instrument of some sort. 

He looks up at the aisle signs looking for the appropriate aisle to find instruments.

“Louis, you’re back!”

He whips around to see Harry’s dimpled grin as he rocks back on his heels, seemingly delighted to see Louis again. 

“Um, yes. I forgot to buy a gift for my brother.”

“Oh.” Harry’s smile falters for a moment, but he recovers quickly. “Well, I can help you find something if you’d like--”

“Yes!” Louis says a little too quickly and a little too loudly. “I mean, yes, I could use some help. Probably.”

“Great,” Harry’s grin returns. “How old is your brother?”

“He’s three.”

Harry’s face scrunches up a little in thought. “I thought your sister was three.”

Louis feels his stomach flip over a bit at the thought that Harry remembers what he said yesterday. Get a grip, Tomlinson. “Yep. Twins.”

“Twins?” Harry’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Wow, that must be amazing!”

“Well, maybe if that were the only set of twins in the family,” Louis shrugs.

Harry’s eyes widen comically. “Two sets of twins? Oh my god. How old are the other twins? Are they a boy and girl as well? What are their names? How many siblings do you--”

Harry slaps a large hand over his mouth as though to stop the flood of questions.

“Sorry. None of my business,” Harry says, although he still looks a bit hopeful that Louis might answer. “I’ve only got one sister myself. Gemma. She doesn’t even live nearby.”

Louis stifles his laughter that Harry seems to be trying to give him sibling information in return for information on his own. 

“Well, the other set of twins are girls, Phoebe and Daisy, and they’re eleven going on sixteen,” he says with a roll of his eyes. The girls are always trying to be like their older sisters. “I’ve got six siblings in all. But back to Ernie, he--”

“Your brother’s name is Ernie?” Harry exclaims. “I love that name! That is adorable! Does he like Sesame Street then? Because of Ernie?”

Louis smiles. “He does in fact like Sesame Street, but his favorite one is Cookie Monster. He also enjoys music and likes to play the instruments at my house, so I was thinking maybe something like that.”

Harry’s eyes gleam. “You play instruments?”

“Yeah. I mess around on my guitar and keyboard a bit. Haven’t been in a band for a few years though. No time when I’ve been trying to get my tattoo shop off the ground.”

Harry’s biting his bottom lip and looking at Louis in a way that if he were anywhere but at Harry’s workplace would have him asking him out right this second. But, they are at Harry’s workplace, so he takes a breath. “Can you point me in the direction of the instruments then?”

Harry just nods and begins leading him towards the back of the store until they arrive at shelves of boxed keyboards and small drum kits and flimsy looking guitars. Harry frowns a bit. “I think a keyboard is the way to go. There are some decent looking ones on display right there if you want to check it out.”

“Yeah,” Louis agrees. “They look nicer than the other instruments.”

Louis tries out a few of the keyboards, playing ‘How to Save a Life’ and then ‘Mr. Brightside.’ 

“I love The Killers!” Harry blurts out, and Louis just nods and smiles.

“Me too. Okay, this one was alright. I think I’ll buy this one. Thanks, Harry.”

Harry’s cheeks flush a lovely pink color just before he turns to lead Louis up to the cash register.

“Thanks again for shopping with us, Louis. I guess you already have gifts for Phoebe and Daisy.”

“Shit.” Louis checks his phone for the time. He really needs to get to work now. He shouldn’t have spent so much time buying a too expensive t shirt at Paul Smith. “I’ll have to come back, I guess. I need to get to the shop.”

Harry flashes him a bright smile. “Well, I guess I’ll see you soon then.”

“Guess so.” 

Louis leaves with a bit of a skip in his step at the thought of seeing Harry again.

*

Louis wakes up late on Tuesday morning. 

He quickly jumps in the shower and drinks some coffee, but it’s really too late to go to the mall and still make his first appointment of the day. He sighs and gives in to the idea that he won’t be seeing Harry today.

Honestly, this stupid crush of his is getting a little out of hand. What does he even know about Harry anyway? Next to nothing. All he knows is he’s really cute and friendly and works at a toy store. That’s not a lot to go on. He drives to work still thinking about him though.

And as the Christmas music blares from his car speakers, he can’t help but sing along, “Baby, all I want for Christmas is youuuu.”

*

He sets his alarm early for Wednesday morning. The toy store doesn’t open until ten o’clock, and he finds himself in the parking lot ten minutes early. He plays games on his phone until it’s at least ten minutes past ten. He doesn’t want to look  _ that _ eager. 

When he walks into the store, Harry appears in front of him before he even has a chance to look around for him.

“You came back!”

“Hi, um, yeah. Gotta buy gifts for the twins still.”

Harry’s cheeks flush with color. “Right, right. That’s what I meant. Just that--you didn’t come yesterday. So I thought maybe you--found something else for them.”

“Oh.” Oh god. Harry’s been thinking about him, too. “Well, nope. I didn’t. Just didn’t have time to come shopping yesterday.”

“So I forgot to ask what their interests are. You mentioned they maybe like to act older than they are, but I’m not sure what they’re into.”

Louis frowns. Harry’s right. He’s not sure he’s going to find much in here that the girls will be interested in. “Maybe they wouldn’t be too interested in toys.”

Harry looks disappointed, and Louis wonders if he works on commission. Maybe he needs the sales. “I could buy stocking stuffers though for all the kids.”

“We have an entire aisle for things like that!”

Harry helps Louis pick out far too many things to even fit in his siblings’ stockings, but Louis buys them all anyway. He’s going to go broke if he keeps coming in here.

“Thanks again, Harry, for all your help. Guess I’m on my own now.”

“Bye, Louis,” Harry says quietly. 

*

Louis wakes up on Thursday, one of his days off, and realizes he still needs to go shopping for Daisy and Phoebe even if he doesn’t get to go to the toy store. He heads out to the mall even though there’s a perfectly nice Ulta nearby where he’s sure he could find something for them. No, he’d better go to Sephora at the mall. 

He’s pathetic. He knows.

He walks by the toy store like an idiot, hoping to catch a glimpse of Harry through the window. 

“Hi, Louis.”

Louis lets out a small, undignified yelp at the sound of Harry’s voice from the other direction. Harry is sitting on a bench outside Paul Smith, clutching a Starbucks cup in his mitten. What grown man wears mittens? And why is it so adorable? 

“Hi, Harry.”

“I thought I might see you here,” Harry says, ducking his head. “It’s my day off, and I needed to get a bit of shopping done myself.”

“Oh.” Louis honestly doesn’t know what to say.

“Not that I was like--waiting for you though! That would be creepy. I’m not, you know--creepy. Er--I was just drinking this hot chocolate. Outside. In the freezing cold. Waiting for you. Like a creep.” A large green mitten now covers Harry’s embarrassed face.

Louis can’t help but laugh. “Harry, would you like to come shopping with me today? Maybe we could get lunch afterwards. Maybe even dinner?”

“Sure,” Harry says his voice muffled behind his mitten.

Louis steps closer and removes Harry’s hand from his face. He holds onto the mittened hand as Harry looks up at him. “I’m really glad you’re here, Harry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave kudos or a comment. <3
> 
> If you are interested in donating in Louis' name and would like a ficlet on a prompt of your choice, [please check this post](http://allwaswell16.tumblr.com/post/180893811926/read-1d-fanss-story). If you'd like to [reblog the fic post](http://allwaswell16.tumblr.com/post/181018408176/each-chapter-of-this-work-is-a-ficlet-dedicated-to), I would really appreciate it as a signal boost for the Eden Dora Trust donations. <3


End file.
